A blog of books

BLOG TOUR & BOOK REVIEW: Abruption by Riley Mackenzie

Dr. Guy Hunter secures his dream fellowship with a beautiful free spirit by his side. Two unexpected blue lines don’t even shake his resolve—he is on his way to having it all. Until he isn’t.

Abruption: a sudden breaking off

Jules Chiappetti loves her boisterous over-involved Italian family but is determined to pave her own way. An MBA and boardroom job is her ticket out. Until it isn’t.

Abruption: an unexpected event

Four years later, Guy is consumed by the challenges of being a single father, still struggling with the aftermath that derailed his life and left his son with special needs. He doesn’t realize his world went dark the same day his wife’s did, until Jules, his son’s new nurse, shows him the light.

The cover of Abruption had such an underlying symbolism that it instantly caught my attention. Coupled with its synopsis, I became even more intrigued and of course, I ended up one-clicking. The promise it held merely from its cover and synopsis was just an inkling of the story that transpired in its pages. Riley Mackenzie are both new authors for me and as many of you know, I’m not much of a risk taker when it comes to new authors. Most times, I stick with my “go to” authors decreasing any risk of literary disappoint. But this year, I’ve resolved to discover new authors and broaden my genre spectrum. Well, it goes to show that taking risks have an even greater payout because Riley Mackenzie have written a book that is so deeply emotional, I found myself sinking into a beautiful abyss of the best sort of second chances many in this world could only hope to have.

Guy’s and Jules’ stories on a singular level were devastatingly tragic. What I loved about their stories at this certain point of their lives was how different they had both dealt with the aftermath of it all. It gave the book a more complex look, giving us that human element to this fictional tale. It opened my eyes to the varying shades of how people react to their own grief even when the stages—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance remain constant for most. While Guy is left to deal with the loss of his wife as a single father to two incredible kids, one of whom is of special needs, he becomes determined to give his daughter and his son the best life has to offer. Often putting his happiness aside, he lives for his children even knowing that something big is missing from his life.

Jules however, deals with a loss that touched me so profoundly. My heart burned for reprieve and I’d longed for her shattered heart to find peace. A pile of tissues later, I found my aching heart suddenly bursting with love. For when Guy and Jules’ paths finally cross, their stories quickly become just their story.

Abruption was so much more than your typical love story between a man and a woman. Rather, it’s wonderful love story between a man and his kids and a woman who I felt is one of the best female protagonists I’ve come to know. Jules is innately selfless and caring even when her whole world had crumbled. She’s also wildly brave and loving—everything that Guy and his children needed in their lives. But the best sort of irony was that Guy and his children were also just what Jules needed in her life. They completed each other, becoming a family so worth the tears and the crosses they’ve all had to bare for years.

This book touches on a couple of very sensitive topics. One that brought me to my knees strictly from the empathy that cursed through my entire being—my mind going to places that could hit so close to home for so many out there and my heart unable to cope with the understanding of what could be and what is for too many. The second disturbed me so greatly, it had my psyche prickling with unease because the mind can play such horrible tricks. So I forewarn you now of the sensitivity that comes alongside this book and with that, I also guarantee you of the beauty this book holds. It is extremely well versed in medical terminology—many times I had to grab for my smart phone and search for definitions as well. I’ve got to give praise to the authors for this because to me, it just shows that they know their sh*t and it gave a realistic impression to the serious tone of this book.

Abruption was a surprise read, one that I will continue to use as a reminder to why I’d come up with my literary resolution in the first place. Riley Mackenzie, have put themselves in my “to be read” authors list with this hauntingly heartbreaking book and its hopeful message of redemption which can only be found in second chances.

I backed up until I was leaning on the opposite counter, crossed my legs, and folded my arms against my chest. “Then explain to me why I haven’t heard from you all week. I get it was our first date and it turned into a really shitty night, but I thought we ended on a high note.” Jules’ eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip. Yeah, she thinks it ended on a high note too. “I text, I call a few times, and not once did you think to pick up the phone or text back. I’m the first to admit that I’m rusty in the dating department, actually if you want to know the truth, I haven’t dated since my wife died. I’ve hooked up, not going to lie, but I haven’t dated someone with the intention of getting to know them. You’re the exception. So I’m asking, what’s with the games?”

“I needed a minute.” Her voice was low and trailed off. So much so, I thought I misheard. Then she broke eye contact and scurried away, opening cabinets and drawers for plates and silverware.

“A minute, as in four days?” We apparently had a different definition of a minute, so I needed clarification. Suddenly, the anger I thought I was over began to resurface. “Look, Jules, I’m sorry I don’t have the luxury of tiptoeing around your feelings here, so I’m going to come straight out and tell you that your minute doesn’t work for me. And it sure as hell doesn’t work for my family. I’m not trying to pressure you into anything, but I have kids, kids that already know you. Kids that already like you. This was not news when we hooked up. So if you aren’t into it, into me, or you decided all of a sudden you have an issue with my baggage, I need to know and we’ll end it now.”

Before they get too attached. Liar. Before I get too attached.

Damn, she was making me soft. She froze mid-plate grab and pivoted back around with her eyes squinted together at a peculiar angle. This expression was a new one and not one of my favorites if I had to compare. “Baggage?” She dragged out the word and cocked her head more to one side. Shit. “You think I consider Maxine and Finn baggage?” The tide changed, and I sensed she wasn’t exactly feeling me right at this moment. “Is that what you’ve been thinking all week? Seriously … seriously?” The second seriously hit an octave I’d yet to hear from her and probably could do without hearing again, so I opted to use my northern brain and keep my mouth shut. “How could you even think that? Not for one point one second. Do you hear me?”

Nope, still not answering. That was a trick question.

“Have I ever given you any inclination that I had an issue with Finn or Max, ever? No. Never!” She answered for me, loudly, and she was pissed. “I adore your children, and I’m just as attached to them as they are to me. That’s why we needed a minute. Everything was moving so fast. You don’t even know anything about me and you opened your home to … to me. You called me a natural, for God’s sake. You have no idea. So I didn’t know what to do with that, and you needed time to think about all that. I’m not sure either of us were ready for what we already let happen, never mind more. That’s why I didn’t call.”

Oh, we needed a minute. What were we, French now? I was tempted to call her on it, especially on the half of what she said that made no sense, but the look in her eyes stopped me. There was a vulnerability there, a softness, so I let her have that play. For now.

“Tell me, are you sure now?” I asked with a bite. She turned her back to me and unwrapped and plated the breakfast sandwiches.

Don’t think so, doll. You got your answer, my turn.

I walked up behind her, pressing my front to her back, pinning her in. She involuntarily shuddered, sucking in a bit of air when I kissed the spot where her neck met her collarbone. “Are you sure, Jules?” This time I asked against her skin.

Her entire body stiffened and she whispered, “No.”

Fuck.

Riley Mackenzie~Authors

Yep. That’s an “s.” There are two of us!

We’re East coast girls separated by Long Island Sound who met in Physician Assistant School and have been besties ever since. We can safely say that thirteen miles of water does not get in the way because we talk or text, no exaggeration, at least 150 times a day. No, really, we do—about everything and nothing. Shockingly, we never (we mean never) run out of things to say. Umm, ever. We definitely laugh A LOT and we’re a tad sarcastic. And if we’re being totally honest, one or two people might have, on occasion, used our names and ‘dramatic’ in the same sentence. But it’s hard to trust the sources since they married us.

It only took twelve years, two husbands, five kids, two dogs, and a two-week vacation in Cape Cod later to decide the romance world needed a splash of medicine. Write what you know.

So you can easily find us at 4 o’clock on Bank Street beach with a glass of cold Prosecco brainstorming. And guaranteed if we bump into you, literally, it’s only because our iPhones are glued to our hands (totally out of our control) either writing or editing our next novel (and yes, it is possible to do from your iPhone, we mastered it … damn those straight quotations).

When we are not working on our book or reading the latest angsty romance on our kindles, you basically name it and we have it going on. Soccer, lacrosse, golf, swimming, dance, gymnastics, football, chess, baseball, basketball, skiing, ice skating, school, homework, and more school.

Oh yeah, did we forget to mention our careers in medicine?

Needless to say, we realized fast that something had to go, so we opted for sleep. It’s completely overrated (yet so AMAZING) and delirium makes everything funnier. Good thing we share a brain and can pretty much complete each other’s sentences (definitely weird, we know).